Tag Archives: Franzia

After a several month-long hiatus, Sharmonica, Coot and I are back in action. We’ll start stuffing our faces and writing about the chow this weekend. In the meantime, feel free to email us at trailernosh@gmail.com with ideas of trailers you’d like to see reviewed.

Due to the extreme Central Texas heat and, well, excessive laziness we haven’t blogged much recently. But now that summer’s coming to a close (it’s only gonna be hot for 3 or 4 more months, right?), our work reviewing trailers begins anew.

We decided to assess the Indian fare at G’Raj Mahal on Red River. Coot and Shar are both educators and had actually received G’Raj gift cards from thoughtful parents who read the blog.

Translucent gift cards! How cool is that?

My first thought about G’Raj Mahal is that it’s really less of a trailer eatery and more of an outdoor restaurant. White gauze hangs from the sides of a shady pavilion while waiters serve chow to patrons at small round tables. They also have misters to beat the heat! But don’t fret, trailer fans, there’s an Airstream-esque trailer where food is prepared.

The breezy pavilion at G'Raj.

Shar started things off right by ordering a rose-flavored Lassi. I was certain that an overprotective collie was going to show up at our table with her owner Timmy, but it turns out that Lassi is a traditional Pujabi yogurt-based drink. It was a little on the chalky side, but still cool and refreshing on a day with temperatures in the triple digits. Meanwhile, Coot and I stuck to the drink of champions: Topo Chico.

This is not the famous dog Lassie.

We enjoyed our libations with mouthwatering spiced potato and pea samosas. For the uninitiated, a samosa is a pastry that is stuffed and then deep fried – I ask you, what’s not to like? The samosas came with tamarind (holy yum!) and mint (meh.) chutneys.

Deep fried deliciousness? I think yes.

The samosas arrived at our table with a creation that I had never hear of: Papri Chaat. Papri Chaat is a chilled sweet and sour potato salad served with fried naan wafers and veggies. Shar ordered the chaat and reports that as a first-time experience it was interesting and quite tasty, but that it wouldn’t necessarily make her list of favorites.

Holy chaat! This was one unique little salad.

Let’s get to the good stuff, shall we?

Sharmonica ordered:

Lamb Kashmiri – Kashmiri is a creamy sauce with apples, raisins, cashews. Shar ordered the mild version and she commented that not unlike Papri Chaat, the Kashmiri wasn’t entirely attractive. But looking like baby poo does not necessarily mean that something will taste like baby poo (sometimes it does though, so watch out). In fact, the Kashmiri was quite appetizing.

Sweet and savory, yet aesthetically unappealing.

Coot ordered:

Beef Makhani – Makhani is a creamy butter and tomato sauce. Coot kicked his curry up a notch and ordered it the medium version.

Rice and curry. Simple pleasures.

I (Franzia) ordered:

Tikka Masala with Chicken – Tikka Masala is my go-to curry at new Indian restaurants. I order it frequently because a) it’s a flavorful party for your mouth and b) it’s a hard thing to screw up. I also chose the medium curry power. I like a little spice, but not so much that I sweat or feel ill afterwards. That’s what overeating is for.

Excuse the mess. Like a child, I didn't finish my peas.

The curries were served with heaping bowls of basmati rice. We also ordered plain naan (a popular Indian flatbread) and stuffed paneer (a type of cheese) naan. Both were sensationally good.

Blurry picture. I was too food-focused to focus my camera.

After our filling entrees, we decided it was time for dessert in the form of Indian Beignets. Beignets are my among my favorite desserts in the world (they join a long list that includes sopapillas, gelato from Perche No in Florence, dark chocolate, and Amy’s Mexican Vanilla ice cream). While the Indian Beignets were essentially identical to their Cajun cousins, I still found them to be nothing short of outstanding. The dough was fluffy and fried to perfection. I. Loved. It.

Indian Beignets could bring a lasting peace to the Middle East. We should let Barack and Hillary know.

In the end, our G’Raj Mahal experience proved to be a feast of magnificent proportions. The food was a bit pricey for trailer grub, but I’d say it’s totally worth it. The G’Raj website is under construction, but I suggest checking them out on Facebook or heading down to Red River! The folks at G’Raj stay open until midnight on weekdays and 3:00 a.m. on weekend nights. Oh, and did I mention that it’s BYOB?

– Post by Franzia // Contact us at trailernosh@gmail.com

ETA: Holy chaat! I forgot to tell y’all two very important things!

1) G’Raj Mahal is an easy walk from Lustre Pearl, where we’ll be gathering next Saturday for an afternoon of booze and tacos. For details, check Facebook.

2) One of the coolest things about G’Raj is that it’s where the Austin Bike Zoo stores some of it’s, ahem, larger animals. Check out the rattlesnake we found!

I wrote yesterday that my only complaint about trailers was the inconsistency in operating hours. This is not entirely true. I also wish more trailers took credit cards. It’s completely understandable why a trailer would choose to go cash only – heck, even some brick and mortar restaurants like the Salt Lick only take greenbacks – but it is still a bit of an inconvenience.

After our supper at Mighty Cone the other night (and a frantic search for a working ATM), we chose to top the evening off with something sweet and headed down the block to Cutie Pies. Jaynie Buckingham, the self-proclaimed Pie Queen owner of Cutie Pies has been heralded in Southern Living and Martha Stewart Living magazines as one sensational pie maker. And, boy, was Martha right.

The mini pies that Cutie Pies serves up for $4 a pop are excellent summer treats that reminded me of the Fourth of July, baseball, and barbecuing in my grandparent’s backyard. If a pastry from Jaynie’s kitchen doesn’t make you feel like celebrating summer, I don’t know what will.

Sharmonica ordered:

Cherry Berry (Blue) Pie – The filling in this pie was a little thin, but it was so scrumptious and really tasted homemade.

White Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie – I have never been a fan of white chocolate, but even I had to admit that the combination of coconut and pecan pie was heaven-sent. Coot was feeling extra generous and bought an extra pie to take home with him.

The Pie Queen tells us that she is most famous for her Buttermilk Pie, which was sold out when we paid a visit to Cutie Pies. Go see Jaynie and try the pie if you’re in the neighborhood. You won’t regret it.

Well, despite our plans, we did not eat Vietnamese sandwiches at Lulu B’s on South Lamar. We arrived bright-eyed, empty-bellied, with cameras in hand only to find the trailer closed. This is my only complaint about trailers in Austin – there seems to be inconsistency in operating hours.

Like good little food bloggers, we soldiered on in the face of disappointment and found ourselves at Mighty Cone at the corner of South Congress and Monroe. I have heard rumors of the Mighty Cone since Hudson’s on the Bend debuted it at Austin City Limits Festival a few years back. Friends and strangers were raving about these little tacos served in snow cone cups.

After trying the Cone for myself, I have to say that I don’t entirely get the hype. It was good, but not exceptional. The secret to the Mighty Cone is supposed to be the Hot ‘n’ Crunchy breading that coats either chicken, avocado or shrimp which is then wrapped in a tortilla with mango-jalepeno coleslaw and stuffed in a paper cone. I liked it, but the fried avocado tacos at Torchy’s are pretty similar and a whole lot tastier. The way I see it, the Hot ‘n’ Crunchy breading the Mighty Cone team prides themselves on is neither hot nor all that crunchy.

Anyway, here’s what we ordered.

Coot ordered:

The Hot ‘n’ Crunchy Shrimp and Avocado Cone

I (Franzia) ordered:

The Hot ‘n’ Crunchy Avocado Cone

A Dublin Dr. Pepper (after all of my whining, I have to say that you’ve gotta give a place credit for serving the world’s best soft drink made with real Imperial Sugar)

Shar’s food looked pretty excellent. The sliders are made from grass-fed Angus beef and served on a fresh-baked bun. We all agreed that the fries tasted pre-made though – kind of like something you could buy in the frozen food aisle and coat with chili powder.

On the whole, the food was okay but not delicious. I’d probably pick up a Cone at ACL Fest, but skip the SoCo trailer in favor of another eatery.

Tune in tomorrow for a review of Cutie Pies (a pie company that is as adorable as it sounds).

This being our first official review, I feel like there should be a little more pomp and circumstance but I’m not sure what to say except that I hope this pitiful initial attempt doesn’t dissuade you from reading in the future. Anyway, let’s get on with it.

For our inaugural outing, Sharmonica, Coot and I (see About Trailer Nosh to learn more) went to Odd Duck Farm to Trailer and Gourdough’s on South Lamar. As we ambled up to the trailers, I was more than a little concerned about eating hot food under the sweltering Texas sun but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Odd Duck, Gourdough’s, and Brevita have several picnic tables and umbrellas ready to shade you. There are also restrooms available – something you don’t often see at trailer joints.

We started our feeding frenzy at the amazing Odd Duck. It was, well, nothing short of spectacular. The menu changes daily to reflect what local farmers have produced.

Zucchini bread with duck liver served with a peach and braised duck leg salad

Coot ordered:

Heirloom tomato salad with grilled watermelon and goat ricotta

Pork belly slider with tomato and arugula

I (Franzia) ordered:

Half a quail with marinated grilled eggplant

Grilled toast with feta, sweet corn, and beets

Holy yum! You didn’t expect that kind of food from a trailer, did you? No, we didn’t either. In fact, we left feeling like Odd Duck has maybe set the bar too high for trailer food. We might as well stop blogging now because no other trailer could possibly live up to the excellence that we found at Odd Duck. The prices were reasonable, with all menu items under six bucks.

Yeah, we didn’t like the food at all.

Next we tried Gourdough’s for the most unique doughnuts I’ve ever had. The menu is filled with gems like the “Mother Clucker” – a doughnut stuffed with fried chicken and honey.

Sharmonica ordered:

Son of a Peach – topped with peach filling, cinnamon, sugar, and cake mix

These doughnuts were a little pricey – ranging from about $3.25 to $4.25 each – but if my memory serves me, there were several references to sexual pleasure during the demolition (and that’s what it was) of these buttery treats. Coot was nearly lulled into a full-on sugar coma, claiming, “this was not good because now I have to go home and clean. I don’t want to go home and clean. Coot wants to crawl in bed.”

All in all, we agreed that everything was so thoughtfully prepared. It showed real culinary expertise — and you don’t expect that from a trailer. Well, now we do and we’ll probably all be pissed next time we try to review a hot dog stand.

My recommendation: check out both trailers, along with drive-thru coffee stand Brevita at 1219 South Lamar in Austin!